Chicken Balmoral Recipes

CHICKEN BALMORAL

Steps:

• Heat the oven to 200°C/180°C fan/gas 6. Cut each chicken breast almost in half horizontally to form a pocket. Mash the haggis and thyme together in a small bowl with a fork (no need to season). Divide the mixture into 4 equal portions, then use to stuff the breasts. Use 1 or 2 cocktail sticks to secure the filling inside (see Make Ahead).
• Heat the butter and oil in the frying pan over a medium-high heat, add the chicken skin-side down and cook for about 5 minutes or until golden brown. Turn the chicken breasts over and brown the other sides for 3 minutes. Transfer the pan to the oven and roast for 15-18 minutes or until just cooked through (the juices will run clear when the chicken breast is pierced with a skewer in the thickest part).
• Remove the chicken and put on a plate to rest, loosely covered with foil to keep warm. Put the pan back on the hob, pour in the stock and use a wooden spoon to scrape up all the tasty browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Stir in a splash of whisky and the cream, then season with salt and plenty of black pepper, adding a little more whisky to taste. Serve the chicken with neeps and tatties, steamed seasonal greens and a spoonful of whisky cream sauce.

BALMORAL CHICKEN RECIPE: CHICKEN STUFFED WITH HAGGIS

Steps:

• Turn the oven on to 200C (400F)
• Cook the haggis as directed on the packaging. You'll find that most haggis comes in a log form. It can be baked in the oven in its casing, or opened and sliced to cook in the microwave. We find it easiest to buy a small haggis and then open it and cook how much we needed in the microwave, leaving the rest for another meal or freezing it. Set it aside to cool.
• Take the chicken breasts and make a slit in the side at the largest point to form a pocket. About 1-1.5cm should remain unsliced on the opposite side.
• Take the cooked haggis and stuff into each chicken breast. You don't want them to be too full, as the chicken should basically seal back around the haggis to form a circle of chicken with the haggis at the centre.
• Lay the bacon out and then place the chicken breast on one end, rolling it to cover the centre and seal the slit. Ideally, the ends of the bacon will be on the underside of the chicken. If you really need to you can secure it with a toothpick but it should stick fairly well to the chicken itself.
• Fry the wrapped chicken breasts so that the bacon browns a little and starts to crisp.
• Put them into a pan or on a baking tray and bake in the oven for around 30-40 minutes depending on the size of the chicken breasts. The juices should run clear when you insert a sharp knife.
• Meanwhile, cook any accompanying vegetables and the whisky sauce (check out our recipe here).
• To serve, slice the chicken breast in half so you can see the haggis inside, place on the plate with the vegetables and liberally pour over whisky sauce!

BALMORAL CHICKEN (RECIPE WITH HAGGIS)

Steps:

• Make a slit into the side of each chicken breast, taking care not to go through the other side.
• Stuff with one third of the haggis and close the breast over the filling.
• Repeat with the next two breasts. You can use a toothpick to secure any loose ends, if you need to.
• Heat a cast iron or non-stick pan to medium high heat. Add the oil or butter, then carefully place the wrapped chicken breasts onto the pan. Be sure the pan is hot enough so searing for a couple of minutes will brown the bacon.
• Turn the chicken breasts over and cook on the other side for 2 to 3 minutes, then place the pan into the preheated oven. If your pan isn't oven-safe, place the breasts into an glass or other baking dish to bake. Bake for approximately 35 minutes (internal temperature should be 165 F (74 C).
• Remove the chicken from the oven when ready, and allow to rest for 5 minutes.
• Cut into slices, crosswise.
• Once sliced, divide the three breasts onto four plates, add mashed potatoes and a green vegetable, such as peas, green beans or Brussels sprouts.
• Finally, pour the whisky sauce over the Balmoral chicken.